griddatan

Interpolate N-D scattered data

Syntax

vq = griddatan(x,v,xq)

vq = griddatan(x,v,xq,method)

vq = griddatan(x,v,xq,method,options)

Description

vq = griddatan(x,v,xq) fits a hypersurface of the form v = f(x) to the sample points x with values v. The griddatan function interpolates the surface at the query points specified by xq and returns the interpolated values, vq. The surface always passes through the data points defined by x and v.

vq = griddatan(x,v,xq,method) specifies the interpolation method used to compute vq. Options are "linear" or "nearest".

vq = griddatan(x,v,xq,method,options) specifies a cell array of character vectors, options, to be used in Qhull via delaunayn.

Examples

Fit Hypersurface

Interpolate a 4-D scattered data set and visualize a 3-D isosurface of the interpolated data.

Create a scattered set of sample points.

rng default
X = 2*rand([5000 3])-1;
Y = sum(X.^2,2);

Create x, y, and z grids to use as the 3-D set of query points, and interpolate the scattered data at these points.

d = -0.8:0.05:0.8;
[y0,x0,z0] = ndgrid(d,d,d);
XI = [x0(:) y0(:) z0(:)];
YI = griddatan(X,Y,XI);

Since it is difficult to visualize 4-D data sets, use isosurface at 0.8 to visualize the interpolation result.

YI = reshape(YI, size(x0));
p = patch(isosurface(x0,y0,z0,YI,0.8));
isonormals(x0,y0,z0,YI,p)
p.FaceColor = "blue";
p.EdgeColor = "none";
view(3)
axis equal
camlight
lighting phong

Nearest Neighbor Interpolation

Use nearest neighbor interpolation on a 3-D scattered data set.

Create a sample 3-D data set. The matrix X contains the xyz locations of the observed data, and v contains the (randomly generated) observed data. This type of data set could represent, for example, oxygen levels in ocean water at these locations.

rng default
X = [rand(100,1) rand(100,1) rand(100,1)];
v = rand(100,1);

Use nearest neighbor interpolation to approximate the value of the underlying function at some query points.

[xx,yy,zz] = meshgrid(0:0.05:1);
xq = [xx(:) yy(:) zz(:)];
vq = griddatan(X,v,xq,"nearest");

Plot slices of the result on top of the sample point locations.

vq = reshape(vq,size(xx));
plot3(X(:,1),X(:,2),X(:,3),"r*")
hold on
slice(xx,yy,zz,vq,[0.3 0.6],0.5,0.5)
hold off

Input Arguments

x — Sample point coordinates

matrix

Sample point coordinates, specified as a matrix. Specify x as an m-by-n matrix to represent m points in n-dimensional space. The sample points must be unique.

Data Types: double

v — Sample values

vector

Sample values, specified as a vector. Specify v as a vector of length m, with one value for each sample point (row) specified in x.

If v contains complex numbers, then griddatan interpolates the real and imaginary parts separately.

Data Types: single | double
Complex Number Support: Yes

xq — Query points

matrix

Query points, specified as a matrix. Specify xq as a p-by-n matrix to represent p points in n-dimensional space. xq is usually created from a uniform grid produced by ndgrid.

Data Types: double

method — Interpolation method

"linear" (default) | "nearest" | []

Interpolation method, specified as one of the values in this table. These methods are both based on a Delaunay triangulation of the input data.

Option	Description	Continuity
"linear" (default)	Triangulation-based linear interpolation.	C0
"nearest"	Nearest neighbor interpolation.	Discontinuous

If method is [], then griddatan uses the default "linear" method.

Data Types: char | string

options — Qhull-specific options

cell array | [] | {''}

Qhull-specific options, specified as a cell array. For a list of supported options, see Qhull Quick Reference.

If options is [], then griddatan uses the default options:

• {'Qt' 'Qbb' 'Qc'} for 2-D and 3-D interpolations.

• {'Qt' 'Qbb' 'Qc' 'Qx'} for interpolations in 4+ dimensions.

If options is {''}, then griddatan does not use any options, not even the defaults.

Data Types: cell

Output Arguments

vq — Interpolated values

vector

Interpolated values, returned as a vector of length p. The interpolated values in vq correspond to the query points (rows) in xq.

Tips

• It is not practical to use griddatan for interpolation in dimensions higher than about 6-D, because the memory required by the underlying triangulation grows exponentially with the number of dimensions.

• Scattered data interpolation with griddatan uses a Delaunay triangulation of the data, so can be sensitive to scaling issues in x. When this occurs, you can use normalize to rescale the data and improve the results. See Normalize Data with Differing Magnitudes for more information.

Extended Capabilities

Thread-Based Environment

Run code in the background using MATLAB® backgroundPool or accelerate code with Parallel Computing Toolbox™ ThreadPool.

This function fully supports thread-based environments. For more information, see Run MATLAB Functions in Thread-Based Environment.

Version History

Introduced before R2006a